Is Adjuvant Therapy Necessary for All Patients with Localized Pancreatic Cancer Who Have Received Neoadjuvant Therapy?

BACKGROUND

Among patients with localized pancreatic cancer (PC), the benefit of adjuvant therapy after neoadjuvant therapy and surgery is unknown.

METHODS

Patients with localized PC who completed all intended neoadjuvant therapy and surgery were categorized based on the receipt of adjuvant therapy and by pathologic lymph node status (LN/LN).

RESULTS

Data was available from 234 consecutive patients, 121 (52%) with resectable and 113 (48%) with borderline resectable PC. Of the 234 patients, 92 (39%) were LN and 142 (61%) were LN. The median overall survival (OS) for the 234 patients was 39 months, 42.3 months for patients who received any adjuvant therapy and 34.1 months for those who did not (p = 0.29). Of the 92 LN patients, the median OS with and without adjuvant therapy was 29.5 and 23.2 months, respectively (p = 0.02). Of the142 LN patients, the median OS was 45 months with or without adjuvant therapy (p = 0.86). In an adjusted hazard model, additional adjuvant therapy had a significant protective effect among LN patients (HR 0.39; 95% CI 0.21-0.70; p = 0.002) but not in LN patients (HR 0.89; 95% CI 0.53-1.52; p = 0.68).

CONCLUSION

Among patients with localized PC who received neoadjuvant therapy and surgery, the benefit of adjuvant therapy was limited to those with node-positive disease.